Cabrera, Sizemore lift Tribe over White Sox in 11

Apr 9, 2010 - 5:40 AM
CHICAGO(AP) -- Grady Sizemore is healthy and ready to help the
Cleveland Indians show that perhaps they shouldn't be written
off this season.

The season's only three games old, but the Indians haven't felt
this successful in years.

"We just wanted to get off to a good start," Sizemore said
Thursday night after his three RBIs helped the Indians to a 5-3,
11-inning victory over the Chicago White Sox.

"Chicago got us in Game 1 but we bounced back and played real
well these last two games. We just want to get momentum going
and carry that through. We've already forgotten about last
year."

The Indians were expected to contend in 2009 but started 0-5 and
were seven games out in the AL Central by the first week of May.
Injuries limited Sizemore, their best player, to 108 games. They
traded stars Cliff Lee and Victor Martinez, finished 65-97 and
fired manager Eric Wedge.

They hired Manny Acta as manager and went young - and few
prognosticators gave them a chance in 2010.

"We want to prove them wrong," said Chris Perez, who has saved
the last two games as a substitute for injured closer Kerry
Wood. "Every year, every single person in the media usually is
wrong."

Luis Valbuena opened the 11th with a bunt single off J.J. Putz
(0-1). He went to second on Lou Marson's sacrifice and, after
Putz struck out Michael Brantley, Asdrubal Cabrera dumped a
single into right field to put Cleveland ahead. Sizemore
followed with his second RBI double of the night.

Acta moved Sizemore from leadoff to No. 2 in the order to give
him more opportunities to drive in runs.

"He showed in spring training that he's healthy and ready to go,
and this guy's going to be an All-Star for us again," Acta said.
"There's no doubt in my mind that he's going to be able to do
what he did before he got hurt."

While Sizemore and the Indians are over .500 for the first time
since they were 81-80 on the next-to-last day of 2008, the White
Sox are smarting after getting only 14 hits in the series.

Manager Ozzie Guillen made a big push to ditch the
wait-for-home-runs strategy of recent years in favor of a
small-ball approach, but the White Sox are batting .154 through
three games. They struck out 12 times Thursday and stranded
eight runners in scoring position.

"We don't have the luxury to strike out with people on base,"
Guillen said. "With this ballclub, we have to put the ball in
play, make things happen. I know they're trying to do better, I
know it's only the third game of the season, I know it's cold,
but we have too many strikeouts."

After Carlos Quentin's two-run homer off Joe Smith gave the
White Sox a 3-2 lead in the seventh, the Indians tied it against
Matt Thornton in the eighth when Travis Hafner singled and
scored on Jhonny Peralta's two-out, two-strike double.

It then started sleeting, making a night with temperatures in
the 30s even more uncomfortable.

"It would have been easy after Smitty gave up that homer for us
to pack it in, especially with the way the weather is," Perez
said. "But we're not going to give up. I think that's going to
be a trademark of this team."

Both starting pitchers performed well, with Cleveland's Justin
Masterson allowing one run on four hits in five innings and
Chicago's Gavin Floyd giving up two runs on five hits in six
innings.

NOTES: Former White Sox (and Indians) slugger Jim Thome's new
team, Minnesota, comes into U.S. Cellular Field for a series
starting Friday. Guillen says he's not sorry he valued
versatility and speed over what a 39-year-old Thome could have
brought to the DH job. "Do we miss him? Yes, but we're going a
different direction," Guillen said. "I talked to Jimmy about why
he can't be here. I don't have enough at-bats for him. At least
I was honest with him." ... Indians 1B Russell Branyan (sore
back) began a rehab assignment Thursday at Triple-A Columbus. He
went 3 for 3, doubled and drove in a run. ... Chicago's Alexei
Ramirez fouled off nine pitches in the third inning before
Masterson struck him out on the 14th pitch of the at-bat.